Charlie Methven offers a plan for sustainability as Sunderland see key decision postponed

Here, we round-up the latest news from Sunderland AFC and around League One:

Charlie Methven discusses his plan for sustainability

Sunderland shareholder Charlie Methven has called for ‘random real time auditing’ of professional clubs to help ensure they remain sustainable.

Methven, who owns a minority share in the Black Cats, worked with MP Damian Collins to produce ‘A Way Forward For Football’ – a report focusing on how to ensure clubs remain sustainable in the wake of COVID-19.

"I think random real time auditing is an absolutely critical element of enforcing sustainability,” he said, speaking to offthepitch.com

“Fundamentally we’re trying to get the conversation going, so when this moment happens there is a plan that has been looked at and is ready to go,” Methven continued.

"In the short term people will say we don’t want to do this, but then what will happen is it will work its way round to desks in government as a potential solution, and DCMS will do some work on it and they’ll speak to Damian about it, and they’ll look at it and start thinking: ‘is this or something like this what plan B looks like? What this is all about is preventing a Bury or Bolton Mark 2.”

But Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman branded the plan as ‘nonsense’.

He said: "Real time auditing is just nonsense, you either trust people to run a proper audit process, or you don’t and if you don’t you shouldn’t be lending them money. If you can’t trust them, what’s the point?”

Crucial League One decision postponed

The impending vote over whether to introduce a salary cap in League One has been postponed.

The vote, which was initially set to take place on Thursday, August 6, has been pushed back by 24 hours.

Clubs face been placed under a spending limit of £2.5million per season on wages, agent fees and relocation costs – while they will also be limited to registering 22 players for the 2020/21 season.

Rochdale open up on losses

Rochdale chairman Andrew Kilpatrick says the club have operated with a deficit of £625,000 since football was suspended in March.

And the Dale chief believes that it will only worsen now players have returned to training – meaning they must be brought off furlough.

"I can tell you that we are currently operating with a deficit of £625k since March alone,” he said.

"Whilst we have been, and still are, very grateful for the assistance of the Government’s furlough scheme, it has only helped cover part of our wage bill.

"Our wage bill is around 250k per month and the furlough scheme has brought in £125k per month, so over the last five months, we have a deficit of around £625k.

"Following the players’ return to training, they have now been taken off furlough and we will no longer be able to receive Government help so the financial gap is only going to get bigger.”

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